JP6491902B2 - Oil separator for refrigerant recovery filling - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to a refrigerant mixed with oil discharged from a compressor (“processed refrigerant”) in a home cooler, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, an automobile cooler, etc. (hereinafter referred to as “recovered equipment such as a vehicle”). To the oil separator for refrigerant recovery and filling for separating the oil.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an oil separator that separates oil mixed in a refrigerant of a device to be collected such as a cooler has been widely used. As a separation mechanism of the oil separator, there is a so-called centrifugal separation type oil separator provided with a mechanism for performing centrifugal separation by rotating a filtration member in a container body with a motor.

  As an example of such a centrifugal separation type oil separator, for example, an oil separator that is installed on the discharge side of a compressor in a water cooling cycle and separates compressor oil from refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor. A main body case having a refrigerant gas outlet and an oil return port, a rotating body rotatably installed in the main body case, an oil separating filter member installed in the rotating body, and the rotating body rotating There is known an oil separator that includes a motor for separating the compressor oil from the refrigerant gas by applying a rotational force by the motor to the refrigerant gas flowing into the rotating body from the inlet (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

  Further, as an oil separator having a configuration not including a centrifugal separation mechanism (hereinafter referred to as “non-centrifugal separation method”), for example, a filter element for capturing oil contained in the refrigerant flowing into the shell is provided, and the filter An oil separator is provided on the entry side of the element, and a refrigerant flows from the outside of the filter element, passes through the oil separator, and the oil separator is a perforated pipe provided on the inside of the filter element. It is publicly known (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Moreover, according to the structure which concerns on the said patent document 2, the effect that a sintered filter can be used as a filter is disclosed.

  On the other hand, according to the invention previously made by the present applicant, the oil is separated from the refrigerant containing oil, recovered as a liquid refrigerant by a condenser in a recovery cylinder, and the recovered liquid refrigerant is charged into the apparatus to be recovered. This is an oil separator for refrigerant recovery and filling in air conditioning equipment such as vehicles, in which oil and liquid refrigerant used in the filling device are separated by heating means, and the upper and lower ends of the hollow body are closed by a top end plate and a bottom end plate. The main body is a vaporization chamber, located at the bottom of the top end plate, securing a passage space between the inner periphery and the top end plate, providing a partition wall, the central tube serving as a liquid refrigerant recovery passage, and the outer tube serving as a refrigerant recovery In some cases, a heat exchange double pipe serving as a recovery passage for collecting the refrigerant to be recovered is spirally formed around the longitudinal center so as not to accumulate and is provided in the evaporation vaporization chamber. At the upper end of the outer pipe, A floating valve that closes the end and penetrates the central tube is provided, and a bottom end plate of the vaporizing chamber for evaporation branches into a passage that is connected to the apparatus to be collected and a passage to the oil drain And the other end of the recovery passage formed in the evaporation vaporizing chamber as an inlet for both oil discharge and refrigerant inflow and formed by the inlet and the outer pipe of the double pipe for heat exchange. And a first pipe joint having a switching function valve for changing the flow path, and a fourth pipe joint piped below the center pipe of the heat exchange double pipe and serving as an outlet for liquid refrigerant. The bottom end plate is provided with a bottom heater for heating the evaporation vaporizing chamber and a temperature control means for the bottom, and one end of the evaporation vaporizing chamber is provided at the top of the evaporation vaporizing chamber or on the top end plate. It has an on-off valve that is open inside and the other end can be selectively changed in two directions. A second pipe joint and a third pipe joint having one end piped on top of the central pipe of the heat exchanging double pipe and the other end having a bi-directional flow passage; and the floating valve has an upper end of the outer pipe A valve body capable of opening and closing the valve body, a valve receiving member for receiving the valve body, and a weight provided on the valve body, wherein the upper end of the outer tube is opened when the valve body rises. An oil separator for refrigerant recovery and filling (see, for example, Patent Document 3) is known.

JP 51-47642 A JP 2006-29684 A JP 2005-024167 A

The centrifugal oil separator described in Patent Document 1 has an advantage in that the oil separation processing speed is improved by the centrifugal action.
However, due to the centrifugal separation operation, there are essential drawbacks that refrigerant gas leaks from the movable shaft portion, which is a movable portion, vibration, noise, and durability tends to decrease. Further, since the movable part is configured, there is a drawback that the manufacturing cost increases.
On the other hand, it is desirable that the oil separator be formed to be lightweight and compact from the viewpoint of installation and the like.

According to the oil separator according to Patent Document 2, leakage of refrigerant gas from a movable shaft part, etc., which is a movable part associated with the centrifugal separation operation seen in the centrifugal oil separator disclosed in Patent Document 1, vibration, It can be said that it is preferable in terms of suppressing the generation of noise and a decrease in durability and not requiring the manufacturing cost for configuring the movable part. In addition, there is an advantage in that it is relatively compact.
In addition, the porous sintered metal that can be used in the sintered filter exemplified in Patent Document 2 is excellent in durability (specifically, heat resistance, pressure resistance, impact resistance, etc.) and high in strength. Therefore, it is useful in that it can withstand long-term use.

However, when a porous sintered metal filter is used, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient filtration function by itself. Further, if the flow of the refrigerant gas is fast, the oil film is not adsorbed and may be scattered and scattered (Bubblic phenomenon), so that sufficient separation performance may not be exhibited.
Under such circumstances, it is necessary to assist with an adsorber (adsorber) arranged in the subsequent process.

  Further, regarding the suppression of the noise and the like, even if it is disclosed in Patent Document 2, a certain effect can be obtained, but it is preferable if it can be further suppressed.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, helium is used as the refrigerant to be processed. In particular, refrigerants used in the above-described vehicle air conditioners, for example, alternative chlorofluorocarbons such as HFC-134a and HFO-1234yf, are not suitable for an oil separator for helium because environmental conditions such as temperature and pressure are greatly different.
That is, normally, when using alternative chlorofluorocarbon as a refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant is vaporized and the vaporized refrigerant is sent to the suction side of the recovery machine, but when the refrigerant vaporizes, the liquid at the bottom of the oil separator The refrigerant lowers the gas temperature in the oil separator by the heat of vaporization, and as a result, the lower part of the container freezes. Further, along with this, the recovery efficiency of oil and refrigerant decreases.

With respect to this point, the invention according to Patent Document 3 has a configuration in which the temperature of the refrigerant to be processed is heated by a heater so as not to decrease, and this is controlled.
However, according to the structure, there is a drawback that the structure becomes complicated and the operation cost increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, is compatible with air conditioning equipment such as vehicles, and is a non-centrifugal oil separator, which has heat resistance, pressure resistance, impact resistance, Based on the premise of an oil separator that uses a porous sintered metal with excellent strength, it is compact without the aid of an adsorber, can exhibit sufficient oil separation performance and recovery efficiency, and can be manufactured at a low cost. An object of the present invention is to provide an oil separator that can further reduce the cost.

  In addition to the above-described problems, another object of the present invention is to provide an oil separator for collecting and filling refrigerant that can reduce noise and the like.

The present invention relates to a non-centrifugation-type refrigerant recovery and filling oil separator for use in equipment to be recovered such as a vehicle, and introduces a refrigerant to be processed for introducing a refrigerant to be processed that is a high-temperature and high-pressure gas containing mist-like oil. Part and an oil separation part including a central cylinder part in the configuration,
The oil separation part is made of a porous sintered metal that diffuses the refrigerant to be treated from the refrigerant introduction part to be treated, and is a metal diffusion part that is stored in the central cylinder part. A discharge part for discharging the refrigerant to be treated from the diffusion part made of a product and a filter part provided outside the discharge part, and forming a second diffusion space between the discharge part and the metal diffusion part In addition, an oil separator for refrigerant recovery and filling, wherein the discharge part is an inclined hole with the outside facing downward, is a means for solving the above problems.

Further, the present invention is provided with a second oil separation part above the oil separation part of the oil separator on the premise of the structure of the basic invention, and the second oil separation part is for leading the processed refrigerant to the outside. And a second filter portion covering the inlet opening of the passage. A refrigerant recovery and filling oil separator is provided as means for solving the above-mentioned problems.

Further, the present invention, on the premise of the configuration of the above basic invention, includes the processing target refrigerant introduction part for introducing the processing target refrigerant to the lid part side which is the upper part of the oil separator, and is made of metal in the central cylinder part from the upper side. A refrigerant recovery / filling oil separator characterized by introducing the refrigerant to be treated into the diffusion section is a means for solving the above-mentioned problems.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is a non-centrifugation-type oil separator that is unlikely to cause leakage of refrigerant gas from a movable shaft portion that is a movable portion, and to be processed for introducing the refrigerant to be processed. A refrigerant introduction part, and an oil separation part including a central cylinder part. The oil separation part is made of a porous sintered metal that diffuses the refrigerant to be treated from the refrigerant introduction part to be treated. A metal diffusion part stored in the central cylinder part, a discharge part for discharging the processing target refrigerant from the metal diffusion part, and a filter part provided outside the discharge part Therefore, durability and strength are ensured by the metal diffusion part, and when the refrigerant to be processed moves from the refrigerant introduction part to be treated to the metal diffusion part, the refrigerant to be treated is dispersed and the pressure is reduced. Transfer the refrigerant to be processed. Speed reducing the, along with reducing noise, it is possible to increase the oil separation performance.

  Then, the porous sintered metal is not used as a main filter, but is used as a metal diffusion portion made of porous sintered metal, thereby reducing the pressure of the refrigerant to be treated, from the discharge portion. By sending the refrigerant to the filter unit, it is possible to reduce the oil once collected by the filter unit from being scattered again in the refrigerant by the pressure of the refrigerant, and to further improve the separation performance.

  Further, since the metal diffusion member is made of the porous sintered metal, durability and strength are ensured by the high-temperature refrigerant to be processed, and the metal diffusion member is heated. As a result, it is possible to suppress liquefaction and mist formation of the refrigerant to be treated due to a decrease in pressure, so that the recovery time of the refrigerant to be treated can be shortened and smooth oil separation performance can be enhanced. Furthermore, since the processing can be performed without the heater and the heater temperature control means, the manufacturing cost and the operating cost can be further reduced.

Further, on the premise of the structure having a metal diffusion portion made of the porous sintered metal, a cylindrical second diffusion space is formed between the discharge portion and the metal diffusion portion, so that the metal Since the to-be-processed refrigerant that has passed through the diffusion part is led out to the cylindrical second diffusion space, the diffusion of the to-be-processed refrigerant further proceeds, and the moving speed is further increased before the to-be-processed refrigerant is sent to the discharge part. Can be relaxed.

  In addition, by adopting a configuration in which the discharge part is an inclined hole with the outside facing downward, the surface area in the discharge part and the space in the discharge part can be increased, and the movement speed of the refrigerant to be treated can be continuously reduced. Furthermore, increasing the surface area in the discharge part and the space in the discharge part will increase the surface area of contact with the refrigerant to be processed that is transmitted through the metal diffusion part and adheres to the filter part by the contact. Since the condensed oil is guided downward, it is possible to improve the separation performance of the mist oil in the refrigerant to be treated.

According to the second aspect of the present invention , on the premise of the configuration of the present invention, a second oil separation portion is provided above the oil separation portion of the oil separator, and the second oil separation portion is a treated refrigerant. Since the oil separator for refrigerant recovery and filling has a passage for leading the gas to the outside and a second filter portion covering the inlet opening of the passage, the oil separator is once collected by the filter portion and again in the refrigerant by the pressure of the refrigerant. In addition, the oil scattered in the second oil separation part is further adsorbed and collected by the second filter part of the second oil separation part, whereby the oil is separated from the refrigerant to be treated, and the treated refrigerant regenerated with high efficiency is separated from the second filter and Thereafter, it can be led out through a continuous passage.

According to the invention of claim 3 , on the premise of the invention of claim 1, the apparatus includes the to-be-processed refrigerant introduction part that introduces the to-be-processed refrigerant to the lid part side that is the upper part of the oil separator. Since the refrigerant to be treated is introduced from the side into the metal diffusion part in the central cylinder part, the upper side of the central cylinder part or the metal diffusion part is particularly at the same time as the refrigerant to be treated at high temperature and high pressure is introduced. Heating is in a good state, liquefaction or mist formation of oil when the refrigerant to be treated passes through the central cylinder portion is reduced, flow resistance of the refrigerant to be treated is reduced, and oil removal efficiency is good. .

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the oil separator which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a partially expanded explanatory view of FIG. 1 which shows the flow of the to-be-processed refrigerant | coolant in a 1st oil separation part. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the oil separator which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a partially expanded explanatory view of FIG. 3 which shows the flow of the to-be-processed refrigerant | coolant in a 1st oil separation part.

  The oil separator S for refrigerant recovery and filling according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In addition, this invention is not limited to the Example shown below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerant separator / filling oil separator S according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a bottom introduction passage 30 a for introducing a refrigerant gas containing oil into the bottom 3 of the container body 1. Yes.
Further, the bottom surface of the container body 1 is provided with an oil discharge portion 6 for discharging the separated oil. The lid 2 which is the upper part of the container body 1 is provided with a lead-out passage 50 for leading out the refrigerant after oil separation. The container body 1 includes a central cylinder 10, a first oil separation part s <b> 1 provided including the central part of the central cylinder, and a second oil separation part s <b> 2 provided above the central cylinder. ing.

  The container body 1 has a configuration in which a cylindrical container side wall 1 a is provided between a bottom member 30 constituting the bottom portion 3 and a lid member 20 constituting the lid portion 2. The lower end of the container side wall 1a is inserted into a container fitting groove 31 formed in the bottom member 30 and having a seal member 33 built therein. The upper end of the container side wall 1a is inserted into a container fitting groove 21 formed in the lid member 20 and having a seal member 23 built therein.

  The lid member 20 has a lid member central screw hole 22 penetrating the front and back surfaces at the center. The lid member central screw hole 22 is screwed and fixed to the refrigerant outlet member 5 for extracting the refrigerant after separating the oil (hereinafter referred to as “processed refrigerant”).

  The refrigerant deriving member 5 includes a lid attaching member 5a having an opening for deriving the refrigerant, a connecting member 5b having an opening that is fixed to the lid attaching member 5a and introduces the refrigerant from the container body 1, and the lid And a filter part (second felt 12b) provided so as to cover the lower part of the part attaching member 5a and the upper part of the connecting member 5b.

The lid attaching member 5a includes the lead-out passage 50 that penetrates from the lower end to the upper end.
Further, the lower end side of the lid attaching member 5a is provided with a female screw portion for adhering to the connecting member 5b, and the upper end is provided with a male screw portion that can be connected to an external pipe. In addition, a flange portion 56 capable of contacting the lid member 20 is provided in the vicinity of the central portion in the longitudinal direction. A seal holding groove 51 is provided on the peripheral surface on the proximal end side close to the flange portion 56, and an annular seal member 52 is attached.

The connecting member 5b is provided with an upper end side connecting portion 55 that is a male screw that can be screwed with the female screw of the lid portion attaching member 5a on the front end side, and has a large diameter at a central position in the longitudinal direction that is larger than other portions. A portion 57 is provided.
The lower surface of the large diameter portion 57 is a holding surface for the upper end of the central tube portion 10. Moreover, the side peripheral surface of the said large diameter part 57 is used as the contact surface with the filter part (1st felt 12a) mentioned later. The connecting member 5b has a processed refrigerant outlet passage 58 for introducing the processed refrigerant. In addition, a holding portion 54 for holding an upper end of a metal diffusion member 11 described later is provided at the lower end of the connecting member 5b.
The processed refrigerant derivation passage 58 is continuous from the side holes 53 formed in the four circumferential surfaces of the longitudinal center of the connecting member 5b toward the axial center, and is connected at the axial center position of the connecting member 5b. It continues from the connection position to the opening at the upper end.

In the center of the upper surface of the bottom member 30, a bottom plate introduction passage 30a penetrating the front and back surfaces is provided. A bottom member central screw hole 32 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the bottom plate introduction passage 30a. An oil reservoir 34 is provided around the bottom member central screw hole 32 to store the separated oil before discharge.
Furthermore, the bottom member oil discharge passage 30b for discharging the oil continuously stored from the oil storage section 34 to the outside is provided. A female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface on the outlet side of the bottom member oil discharge passage 30b, and is screwed with a male screw of the oil discharge portion 6 having the oil discharge passage 6a. It is configured to be installed.

  Further, a fixing member 40 having a fixing portion side introduction passage 40a for introducing the refrigerant to be processed into the oil separator S at a position below the center in the axial direction of the bottom member central screw hole 32, The fixing portion 4 is configured by being clamped and fixed by a fixing nut 41 from above and below the mounting plate 7 while being passed through the through hole of the mounting plate 7.

The central cylindrical portion 10 is provided between the connecting member 5 b and the bottom member 30.
The central cylinder portion 10 includes a male screw portion that can be screwed to a position from the center in the axial direction to the upper side in the bottom member central screw hole 32 of the bottom member 30 on the lower end side thereof.
Further, a cylindrical portion introduction passage 10 a having the same inner diameter as the fixed portion side introduction passage 40 a of the fixed portion 4 is provided from the center of the shaft to the lower end position in the inside of the central tube portion 10.
A first diffusion space 10b having a diameter larger than that of the guide tube portion entrance passage 10a is formed in the inside of the center tube portion 10 upward from the axial center position, and a first oil separation portion s1 shown below is provided at the location. It has a configuration.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the first oil separation part s <b> 1 penetrates the metal diffusion member 11 formed of a porous sintered metal and the peripheral wall of the central cylinder part 10 outside the metal diffusion member 11. A plurality of inclined holes 10c that serve as discharge portions, a belt-like first felt 12a wound around the outer peripheral side of the central cylinder portion 10, and a fixing wire 14 for fixing the first felt 12a. And a spacer 19.
A female screw is formed on the inner periphery of the upper portion of the central cylindrical portion 10. An upper end side retaining ring 59a for constituting the second oil separation part s2 is provided on the outer periphery of the upper part of the central cylinder part 10.
Moreover, the 1st felt 12a is comprised with the nonwoven fabric, and functions as a filter part which impregnates and adsorbs the mist-like oil in a to-be-processed refrigerant | coolant.
The metal diffusion member 11 is housed in the central cylindrical portion, the first diffusion space 10b is located inside the metal diffusion member 11, and the outer surface of the metal diffusion member 11 and the first diffusion space 10b are connected to each other. A cylindrical second diffusion space 16 is formed between the inner surface of the central cylindrical portion 10 (that is, the surface on which the inner opening of the inclined hole 10c is formed).

The metal diffusing member 11 is formed as a cylindrical body by a sintered body of metal particles.
The metal particles constituting the sintered body in this example are brass. A large number of holes are irregularly formed between the metal particles. The metallic diffusion member 11 is sandwiched and fixed by the holding portion 54 and the spacer 19 of the connecting member 5b.

In order to prevent displacement of the first felt 12a and the fixing wire 14, a metal retaining ring 15 is provided on the lower side of the first felt 12a and the fixing wire 14 and on the upper side of the upper side, respectively. It is.
A flange 13 is provided adjacent to the upper end of the retaining ring 15 on the upper end side. A metal retaining ring 13 a is further provided on the upper portion of the flange portion 13. The collar 13 is clamped and fixed by these retaining rings 15 and 13a.

  The plurality of inclined holes 10c functioning as the discharge portions are formed as inclined through holes that form an upper opening inside the peripheral wall of the central cylindrical portion 10 and a lower opening outside, and penetrate the peripheral wall. Yes. The plurality of inclined holes 10c and the cylindrical second diffusion space 16 form a continuous space.

  The second oil separation part s2 has a mounting plate 59b having a ring-shaped contour placed on the upper end side retaining ring 59a, and the second felt 12b disposed on the mounting plate 59b and the lower part of the lid mounting member 5a and the connecting member The upper part of 5b is wound and covered, the fixing wire 14 is wound from the outside of the second felt 12b, and is fixed to the upper part of the connecting member 5b. The upper end of the second felt 12b is in contact with the lower surface of the lid. The second oil separator passes the refrigerant to be treated containing the oil that has not yet been removed after passing through the first oil separator, from the outside to the inside of the second felt 12b, and adsorbs the contained oil. Then, the processed refrigerant after oil separation is led out to the treated refrigerant outlet passage 58 of the connecting member 5b.

With the above configuration, the oil separator S according to the first embodiment functions as shown below.
First, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant to be treated is pumped from the compressor and introduced from the bottom introduction passage 30a disposed at the lower portion of the oil separator S according to the first embodiment through the fixed portion side introduction passage 40a of the fixed portion 4. .

The introduced refrigerant to be processed passes upward through the cylinder part introduction passage 10a of the central cylinder part 10 and moves to the first diffusion space 10b. The to-be-processed refrigerant introduced into the first diffusion space diffuses, and the moving speed decreases as the pressure of the to-be-processed refrigerant decreases. With this decrease in the moving speed, the brick phenomenon is prevented. In addition, noise is reduced.
In the first diffusion space 10b, the refrigerant to be treated contacts the metal diffusion member 11 and moves outward.

  The treated refrigerant sent under pressure is heated by contact with the metal diffusion member 11. Since the refrigerant to be treated is continuously introduced, the temperature of the metal diffusion member 11 is raised or kept warm. Condensation of the refrigerant is suppressed by the effect of the temperature rise or heat retention.

  Here, since the metal diffusion member 11 has a porosity in which a large number of voids are irregularly formed between the metal particles, the refrigerant to be treated becomes unrectified and is further diffused. At this time, the non-rectified gas diffuses and passes through a large number of gaps in the metal diffusion member 11 so that the refrigerant to be treated flows smoothly into the individual gaps. And the metal particles can be made in good contact with each other.

  And by adsorb | sucking the oil in a to-be-processed refrigerant | coolant with respect to the said metal particle, a part of oil can be isolate | separated from a to-be-processed refrigerant | coolant also before introduction | transduction to a filter part.

The refrigerant to be processed that has passed through the metal diffusion member 11 is introduced into the cylindrical second diffusion space 16.
By introducing the refrigerant to be treated into the second diffusion space 16, the refrigerant to be treated is further diffused and the pressure of the refrigerant to be treated is lowered, so that the moving speed is reduced.

Then, the refrigerant to be treated comes into contact with the inner surface of the central cylinder portion 10. The oil adhered by the contact with the inner surface flows out into the plurality of inclined holes 10c. This improves the oil separation performance. The oil that has flowed out into the space in this way is impregnated in the first felt 12a.
Further, since the inclined hole 10c continuing from the second diffusion space 16 is configured as an inclined hole penetrating the peripheral wall, the surface area and the space in the inclined hole 10c are increased and discharged from the metal diffusion member 11. In addition to increasing the contact area with the refrigerant, the oil adhering to the contact is guided downward.

  The oil molecules impregnated in the first felt 12a are then trapped in the first felt 12a and aggregated together with the oil and easily liquefied. It flows into the oil reservoir 34.

The refrigerant that has passed through the first felt 12a contains oil that could not be captured by the first felt 12a. When the refrigerant that has passed through the first felt 12 a contacts the flange 13, the oil mixed in the refrigerant adheres and condenses, falls from the lower end of the flange 13, and flows into the oil reservoir 34.
Further, as in the case of the conventional oil separator, a part of the mist-like oil also has an action of dropping the oil adhering to each part in the oil separator S due to the difference in specific gravity with the refrigerant gas.

  Of the refrigerant being processed, the refrigerant that has passed through the gap between the inner surface of the container side wall 1a and the flange 13 is introduced into the second oil separation portion s2. The refrigerant at this point includes oil that has been once collected and is scattered in the treated refrigerant again due to the pressure of the refrigerant to be treated. The second oil separation part s2 is removed by adsorbing the oil molecules.

  The oil molecules impregnated in the second felt 12b of the second oil separation part s2 and the oil molecules that are pumped thereafter are captured by the second felt 12b and together with the oil, like the first oil separation part s1. It condenses easily and flows into the oil storage part 34 through the central cylinder part 10 or the flange part 13.

  The refrigerant is further reduced in oil content by the second oil separation portion s2 and is led out from the refrigerant outlet member 5 via the outlet passage 50. Through the above processing, oil can be separated from the refrigerant to be treated by the oil separator S according to the first embodiment.

  In the oil separator according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant to be treated discharged from the compressor is introduced from the lower inlet, so that the heat inside the oil separator Since the temperature at the bottom of the top is the highest and the temperature rises to the top, the internal temperature can be made to be uniformly high with no unevenness. In addition, by raising the temperature of the bottom by heat transfer from the refrigerant to be treated, a heater or the like can be omitted, which can contribute to lower operating costs. Even in the state where no heater is used, the collection time can be shortened and the collection efficiency can be increased.

Next, an oil separator S according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described.
In the oil separator S according to the second embodiment, the oil separator S according to the first embodiment is mainly provided with the first oil separation portion s1 and the second oil separation portion s2. Although it includes s1, it is different in that it does not include the second oil separation part s2.

  The oil separator S according to the second embodiment mainly includes a to-be-processed refrigerant introduction portion (fixed portion 4 in the first embodiment) into which the oil separator S according to the first embodiment introduces a refrigerant pressure-fed by a compressor from the bottom 3 side. It differs from the above in that it has a to-be-processed refrigerant introduction part (fixing part 4 in Example 2) for introducing the refrigerant pumped by the compressor from the lid part 2 side.

For this reason, although the oil separator S according to the second embodiment does not include the second oil separation portion s2 as described above, the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant pumped by the compressor from the lid portion 2 side is introduced. The warming property on the upper side of the central tube portion becomes good. As a result, the liquefaction or mist of the oil when passing through the central cylinder part is reduced, the resistance of the flow of the refrigerant to be treated is reduced, and the oil removal efficiency is improved.
In addition, the oil separation efficiency of the first oil separation unit s1 according to the second embodiment can be increased by the type, shape, discharge unit size, inclination angle, number of installations, and other parts of the metal diffusion unit. it can.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container body 1 of the oil separator S according to the second embodiment has a cylindrical shape between a bottom member 30 constituting the bottom portion 3 and a lid member 20 constituting the lid portion 2. The container side wall 1a is provided. The lower end of the container side wall 1a is inserted into a container fitting groove 31 formed in the bottom member 30 and having a seal member 33 built therein. The upper end of the container side wall 1a is inserted into a container fitting groove 21 formed in the lid member 20 and having a seal member 23 built therein.

  The lid member 20 has a lid member central screw hole 22 penetrating in the vertical direction at the center. The lid member central screw hole 22 constitutes a lid side introduction passage 20b for introducing the refrigerant to be processed. In addition, a lead-out passage 20c that leads from the lower surface of the lid member 20 to the side surface is provided. The lead-out passage 20c is for leading out the refrigerant after oil separation. The lead-out passage 20c is provided with a female screw hole, and the refrigerant lead-out member 5 is screwed and connected.

The fixed portion side introduction passage 40a of the fixed portion 4 serving as the refrigerant to be treated has a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface. The refrigerant introduction part to be treated is fixed to the attachment plate 7 by holding the refrigerant introduction part to be treated through the through hole of the attachment plate 7 from above and below the attachment plate 7 with the fixing nut 41. .
The lid member 20 and the fixing portion 4 are connected by screwing the male screw at the lower end of the fixing portion 4 and the lid member central screw hole 22 of the lid member 20.

  Further, the bottom surface of the bottom member 30 of the container body 1 is provided with an oil discharge portion 6 for discharging separated oil. On the upper surface of the bottom member 30, a recess 6b for introducing the separated oil into the oil discharge passage 6a of the discharge portion 6 is formed.

A central tube portion 10 is disposed between the oil discharge portion 6 on the bottom portion 3 side and the female screw hole in the lid member 20.
The center cylinder part 10 in the present Example 2 has the cylinder part introduction channel | path 10a in the internal upper side. A first diffusion space 10b having a continuously expanded diameter is provided below the cylindrical portion introduction passage 10a.

The first oil separation part s1 in the second embodiment is common to the first oil separation part s1 in the first embodiment. That is, the first oil separation part s1 includes a metal diffusion member 11 formed of sintered brass, and a plurality of inclined holes 10c penetrating the peripheral wall of the central cylinder part 10 outside the metal diffusion member 11; A felt 12c wound around the outer peripheral side of the central cylinder portion 10, a fixing wire 14 for fixing the felt 12c, and a spacer 19 are provided.
The felt 12c functions as a filter unit. As in the first embodiment, a cylindrical second diffusion space 16 is formed between the outer surface of the metal diffusion member 11 and the inner surface of the central cylinder portion 10. Further, in order to prevent displacement of the felt 12c and the fixing wire 14, a metal retaining ring 15 is provided on the lower side of the felt 12c and the fixing wire 14, respectively above the upper side. .

Moreover, the center cylinder part 10 of the oil separator S which concerns on the present Example 2 has the collar part 13 in two places up and down. Here, the upper flange 13 is referred to as an upper flange 13, and the lower flange 13 is referred to as a lower flange 13.
The lower flange 13 is disposed on the lower end side of the metal diffusion member 11 of the central cylinder portion 10. The inner edge portion of the lower collar 13 is clamped and fixed by the retaining ring 15 from above and the collar retaining ring 17 from below.
The upper flange 13 is disposed on the upper end side of the central tube portion 10. The base end of the upper collar part 13 is clamped and fixed by the connection part 18 on the upper end side and the retaining ring 17 for the collar part.

With the above configuration, the oil separator S according to the second embodiment functions as shown below.
First, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant to be treated is pumped from the compressor and introduced from the fixed portion side introduction passage 40a of the fixed portion 4 of the oil separator S according to the second embodiment into the lid portion introduction passage 20b.

  The introduced to-be-processed refrigerant passes through the cylinder part introduction passage 10a of the central cylinder part 10 from above and moves to the first diffusion space 10b. The processing at this stage is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, the to-be-processed refrigerant introduced into the first diffusion space diffuses, and the moving speed decreases as the pressure of the to-be-processed refrigerant decreases. As in the first embodiment, with the decrease in the moving speed, the brick phenomenon is prevented and noise is also reduced.

The treated refrigerant sent under pressure is heated by contact with the metal diffusion member 11. Since the refrigerant to be treated is continuously introduced, the temperature of the metal diffusion member 11 is raised or kept warm. The liquefaction of the refrigerant is suppressed by the effect of the temperature increase or heat retention.
Moreover, when the to-be-processed refrigerant passes through the metal diffusion member 11, the to-be-processed refrigerant is further diffused, and the moving speed thereof is reduced.

And like Example 1, the to-be-processed refrigerant | coolant which passed the metal diffusion members 11 is introduce | transduced into the said cylindrical 2nd diffusion space 16, and also a spreading | diffusion advances. By forming the cylindrical second diffusion space 16, the refrigerant released from the metal diffusion member 11 comes into contact with the inner surface of the central cylinder portion 10, and the oil adhered by the contact with the inner surface is downward or a plurality of By separating the oil by flowing out into the inclined hole 10c, the separation performance of the oil can be improved.
Thereafter, the refrigerant to be treated comes into contact with the inner surface of the central cylinder portion 10. The oil adhered by the contact with the inner surface flows out into the plurality of inclined holes 10c. This improves the oil separation performance. The oil that has flowed into the space in this manner is impregnated in the felt 12c.

  Due to the contact between the pumped refrigerant to be treated and the metal diffusion member 11, a part of the oil in the refrigerant to be treated passes through the plurality of inclined holes 10c from the outside of the metal diffusion member 11 to the felt 12c. Impregnated.

  Further, by forming the inclined hole 10c obliquely downward, the surface area and space in the inclined hole 10c are increased to increase the contact area with the refrigerant discharged from the metal diffusion member 11, It has a function of guiding oil attached by the contact downward.

  The oil molecules in the refrigerant pumped thereafter by the oil impregnated in the felt 12c are first captured by the felt 12c and agglomerated together with the oil to be easily liquefied and flow into the recess 6b through the central cylinder portion 10. .

The refrigerant that has passed through the felt 12c contains oil that could not be captured by the felt 12c. When the refrigerant that has passed through the felt 12c comes into contact with the flange 13, the oil mixed in the refrigerant adheres and aggregates, falls from the lower end of the flange 13, and flows into the recess 6b.
The oil flowing into and separated from the recess 6b is discharged from the oil discharge passage 6a.
Through the above processing, oil can be separated from the refrigerant to be treated by the oil separator S according to the second embodiment.

  Although the first and second embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations shown in the first and second embodiments. For example, the collar portion 13 is not essential and is not provided. There may be more than the above-mentioned embodiment.

In Examples 1 and 2, the first diffusion space 10b, the metal diffusion member 11 made of a porous sintered metal, and the second diffusion space 16 are provided. What is necessary is just to provide the metal-made spreading | diffusion part which consists of a bonded metal, and it does not necessarily have a 2nd diffusion space.
On the other hand, by further providing the second diffusion space 16 in addition to the metal diffusion member 11, the refrigerant to be treated that has passed through the metal diffusion portion 11 is led to the second diffusion space 16. Since the diffusion of the refrigerant to be processed further progresses and the moving speed can be further relaxed before the refrigerant to be processed is sent to the discharge portion, the collision speed with the felt 12c is reduced to reduce oil re-scattering. Thus, the oil capturing effect can be enhanced and the oil separation performance can be improved.

Moreover, in Example 1, although the 2nd oil separation part s2 is set as the structure provided with the 2nd felt 12b as a filter part, this invention is not limited to the said structure, In addition to the 2nd felt 12b, or the said 1st Instead of the two felts 12b, the metal diffusing member 11 used for the first oil separation part s1 may be provided.
In the present invention, not only the above-described felts but also various known filter members can be used as the filter portion.

  Moreover, although the metal diffusing member 11 in the present invention uses sintered brass, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, sintered aluminum. Any metal can be used as long as it can be heated by a high-temperature refrigerant to be treated. Moreover, the metal diffusion member 11 can freely set the size and interval of the sintered metal particles. Furthermore, by making the thickness of the metal diffusion member relatively large in the oil separator S, the surface area of the metal particles is increased, the contact area with the refrigerant to be treated is increased, and the oil separation efficiency is increased. be able to.

  In addition, in the structure shown in the said Example 1, compared with the structure which introduces the to-be-processed refrigerant | coolant shown in Example 2 from upper direction, by introducing a to-be-processed refrigerant | coolant from the downward direction, the to-be-processed refrigerant | coolant of high temperature / high pressure The oil separator S can obtain a uniform heating effect as a whole by moving the temperature distribution from the lower side to the upper side due to the heat transfer.

  In both of the first and second embodiments, the fixed portion 4 is the treated refrigerant introduction portion, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fixed portion 4 may be the refrigerant outlet side and the oil discharge side. it can. That is, the location to be fixed when installing the oil separator S is not limited to the refrigerant introduction portion to be processed, and the present invention extends to various modifications that are recognized within the scope of the design matters.

  Further, the configuration of each part of the first and second embodiments is not limited to the configuration disclosed in the first embodiment, and the present invention extends to various modifications that are recognized within the scope of the design items.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container main body 1a Container side wall 10 Central cylinder part 10a Cylinder part introduction passage 10b First diffusion space 10c Inclined hole 11 Metal diffusion member 12a First felt (filter part)
12b Second felt (filter part)
12c Felt (filter part)
13 buttock (upper buttock, lower buttock)
13a Retaining ring 14 Fixing wire 15 Retaining ring 16 Second diffusion space 17 Retaining ring for heel part 18 Connection part 19 Spacer 2 Lid part 20 Lid member 20b Lid part introduction passage (Example 2)
20c Lead-out passage (Example 2)
21 Container fitting groove 22 Lid member central screw hole 23 Seal member 3 Bottom 30 Bottom member 30a Bottom introduction passage 30b Bottom member oil discharge passage 31 Container fitting groove 32 Bottom member central screw hole 33 Seal member 34 Oil storage part 4 Fixing part 40 fixing member 40a fixing member introduction passage 41 fixing nut 5 refrigerant outlet member 5a lid mounting member 5b connecting member 50 outlet passage 51 seal holding groove 52 seal member 53 side hole 54 holding portion 55 upper end side connecting portion 56 flange portion 57 large diameter Part 58 Processed refrigerant outlet passage 59a Upper end side retaining ring 59b Mounting plate 6 Oil discharge part 6a Oil discharge passage 6b Recessed part 7 Mounting plate A Arrow indicating the introduction direction of the refrigerant to be processed B Arrow indicating the direction of discharge of the processed refrigerant C Separation Arrow indicating rear oil discharge direction S Oil separator s1 First oil separation part s2 Second oil Separation unit

Claims (3)

A non-centrifugation-type refrigerant recovery and filling oil separator for use in equipment to be recovered such as vehicles,
A refrigerant-to-be-treated introduction part for introducing a refrigerant to be treated, which is a high-temperature and high-pressure gas containing mist-like oil, and an oil separation part including a central cylinder part
The oil separation part is made of a porous sintered metal that diffuses the refrigerant to be treated from the refrigerant introduction part to be treated, and is a metal diffusion part that is stored in the central cylinder part. A discharge unit for discharging the refrigerant to be processed from the diffusion unit, and a filter unit provided outside the discharge unit;
A refrigerant recovery and filling oil separator, wherein a second diffusion space is formed between the discharge portion and the metal diffusion portion, and the discharge portion is an inclined hole with an outer side downward. A second oil separation part is provided above the oil separation part of the oil separator, and the second oil separation part covers a passage for leading the treated refrigerant to the outside and an inlet opening of the passage. The oil separator for refrigerant recovery and filling according to claim 1, further comprising: The above-described refrigerant introduction section for introducing the refrigerant to be treated is provided on the lid portion side, which is the upper part of the oil separator, and the refrigerant to be treated is introduced from the upper side to the metal diffusion section in the central cylindrical portion. The oil separator for refrigerant recovery and filling according to claim 1, wherein

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